HU Lady Pirates Use Strong Second Half to Beat Brown

ATLANTA, Georgia  -- For the third straight game, the Hampton University women's basketball team had a strong second half. This time, the Lady Pirates used it to upend Brown 71-50 on Sunday in the first game of the Georgia Tech Holiday Tournament at McCamish Pavilion.

The Lady Pirates (10-3) led by just two at the half, but outscored the Bears 38-19 in the second half to pull away with their fifth straight win. Hampton will face either Alabama State or Georgia Tech in Monday's title game at 2 p.m.

Junior guard Kenia Cole (Silver Spring, Md.) led the Lady Pirates with a season-high 19 points, thanks to a career-high five 3-pointers and seven field goals. Freshman guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas (Harrisburg, Pa.) added 16 points – 10 in the second half – seven assists, and six rebounds.

Senior guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.) scored 13 points and dished out seven assists.

After the Lady Pirates scored the first four points of the game, Brown answered with five straight to take a 5-4 lead at the 17:05 mark after a layup from Lauren Clarke. Hampton then went on a 5-0 run of its own, going up 10-5 after a layup from senior forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.) at the 15:33 mark.

Clarke hit a trey with 13:09 left in the half to cut Hampton's lead to 12-11, before Jordin Alexander added a layup at the 12:11 mark to give Brown a 13-12 lead. Brown led by as many as three, going up 21-18 with 9:41 left in the half after a Sophie Beutel 3-pointer.

But the Lady Pirates scored the next seven points to take a 25-21 lead at the 7:00 mark after a trey from Hamilton. Brown answered with an 8-2 run, taking a 29-27 lead with 2:41 left in the half on an Ellise Sharpe layup.

Jordin Juker hit two free throws with 1:18 left in the half to give the Bears a 31-29 lead, but the Lady Pirates closed the half with a layup from Tate-DeFreitas and a short jumper from redshirt-sophomore forward Brielle Ward (Baltimore, Md.) to take a 33-31 lead into the locker room.

Hamilton led the Lady Pirates with nine points at the half.

The Lady Pirates opened the second half with a 10-2 run, taking a 43-33 lead with 15:27 left to play after a layup from sophomore guard Ryan Jordan (Manassas, Va.). Cole added a layup, and then a 3-pointer, helping the Lady Pirates take a 48-38 lead at the 12:26 mark.

Beutel closed the gap to six, cutting Hampton's lead to 48-42 with a layup with 11:14 to play, but the Lady Pirates answered with nine straight points to break the game wide open, taking a 57-42 lead 8:11 left to play after a fastbreak layup from Cole.

Clarke hit a trey with 4:40 left to cut Hampton's lead to 62-48, but the Lady Pirates scored the next seven points to go up 69-48 with 2:26 left after a jumper from Bennett.

A layup from Tate-DeFreitas with 42 seconds left pushed the game to its final margin.

The Lady Pirates shot 40.5 percent (30-for-74) from the floor – including a 45.5 percent clip (15-for-33) in the second half – and made eight of their 26 3-pointers (30.8 percent). Hampton also held a 43-41 edge on the glass, and the Lady Pirates turned 16 Brown turnovers into 25 points.

Hampton also outscored the Bears (5-5) 38-22 in the paint.

Brown shot 32.8 percent (19-for-58) from the floor – hitting just eight of their 30 field goals (26.7 percent) in the second half – and went just 7-for-31 (22.7 percent) from behind the arc.

Clarke led Brown with 17 points.

For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

Box Score

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Rams 'excited' for start of conference season

ALBANY, Georgia  — The Albany State men’s basketball team returns to campus today after a two-week holiday break.

And Rams coach Chris Cameron is hoping his team comes back with the same focus and determination it left with 14 days ago.

 

The Rams wrapped up first-semester practices a couple of weeks ago before Cameron sent his players home for the holidays, and the eight-year coach believes his players were peaking just as they left campus for the break.

 

“We had three or four practices after final exams, and those practices were good,” said Cameron, whose Rams lost their final game before break to St. Leo, 96-62, on Dec. 7. “I saw focus and concentration in the guys during those practices, and we are hoping they come back the same way.”

 

ASU (3-5) resumes practice today and will begin the second half of the season Thursday at home in its SIAC opener against Kentucky State. The Thorobreds (1-4) are on a four-game losing streak but have won six of their last seven games against ASU dating back to 2010.

 

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FAMU Lady Rattlers Bested 79-63 By Wake Forest At FIU

MIAMI, Florida  --    The Florida A&M Lady Rattlers (6-8, 1-1 MEAC) dropped a testy battle in South Florida to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8-4, 0-0 ACC), 79-63 at the U.S. Century Bank Arena on the campus of FIU, in the first round of the Fun& Sun Classic.

In the first half, the Lady Rattlers battled through a physically imposing WFU front line that bested them on the boards, but used a press defense to slow progress, allowing the Lady Rattlers to keep the Demon Deacons close.

“I thought we played a tough game in the face of a very tall team, while nursing some injuries of a few of our front court players.  We let a few opportunities get away at times, but overall we stayed aggressive throughout the game.  We did some good things in this game and we hope to build on it and get a split here to close out this tournament.  From there we plan to tighten up loose ends just in time for conference play,” head coach LeDawn Gibson said.

The Lady Rattlers were led by Jasmine Grice as scored 20 points on 7-of-20 shooting from the field.  She was also one of the team leaders with seven rebounds and added five steals to her line.  Taneka Rubin poured in 16 points on 5-of-18 shooting, while Kimberly Sparkman chipped in 14 on 6-of-10 shooting.  Rubin pulled down seven rebounds, as did Ann Marie Harris.

Wake Forest was led by Dearica Hamby, who hit for 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting.  Chelsea Douglas added 13 and Ataijah Taylor closed out the double-digit scorers with 10.  Hamby dominated the boards, using her lengthy frame to haul in 18 rebounds.  No other play grabbed double digit rebounds in the game.

The Lady Rattlers put up a fight to the end, but had no answer for the Demon Deacon size.  “I am encouraged by what I saw.  We never gave up.  Looking at our team now, as opposed to where they were just a few weeks ago, we’ve made some positive strides.  If we continue to improve, we should be where we want to be this season,” Gibson said.

FAMU shot 32.4 percent for the game, while WF shot a scorching 50 percent.  54 of the Demon Deacon points came in the paint, eclipsing FAMU’s 28 points.  WF also had 30 points contributed by their bench to 19 for FAMU.





Final Stats

The Lady Rattlers will play in the consolation game tomorrow at 1 p.m. as they will face Farleigh Dickinson at the U.S. Century Bank Arena.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Denver Pioneers Down Alcorn State 67-49

EL PASO, Texas – University of Denver junior Brett Olson (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) scored 16 points and tied a season-high with four three-pointers, leading the Pioneers to a 67-49 victory over Alcorn State at the 52^nd Annual Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational at the Don Haskins Center on Saturday evening.

Senior Chris Udofia (Irving, Texas) added 15 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocked shots, while junior Cam Griffin (San Antonio, Texas) pulled down a game-high eight rebounds and scored eight points. Sophomore Jalen Love (Wichita, Kan.) set a career high with seven rebounds for the Pioneers (6-6).

“I thought we came out ready and played well to build a 20-point lead in the first half,” head coach Joe Scott said. “The second half was what we expected, and I think our guys again did a pretty good job of rebounding and taking care of the ball, and never letting them get it back to within 10 points. That’s what you’ve got to do in a game like this.”



The Pioneers used a 17-0 run midway through the first half, punctuated by back-to-back follow dunks from Griffin and Udofia, to spark a 27-17 lead at the break.

The Braves (3-8) used hot shooting to get back in the game during the second half, hitting their first eight shots and pulling the score to 55-44 with 5:27 remaining.

However, Udofia scored five-straight and Alcorn State went without a field goal over the final 5:31, as Denver sealed the win down the stretch.

The Pioneers shot 48.1 percent (25-of-52) in the game and went 9-of-24 (37.5 percent) from the three-point line. Alcorn State hit 44.7 percent (17-of-38) from the floor, while going 0-for-4 from beyond the arc and 15-of-29 (51.7 percent) from the free throw line.
DU held a 34-24 rebounding advantage over Alcorn State, which was led in scoring by LeAntwan Luckett’s 20 points.

Denver concludes the 52^nd Annual WestStar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational against UTEP on Sunday at 7 p.m. MT.

Individual home game tickets for men's basketball are on sale now with prices starting at $9 for adults. Single-game tickets can be purchased in person at the Ritchie Center Box Office, by phone at 303-871-2336 or online at DenverPioneers.com/tickets. DU students are admitted to all Denver men's basketball games FREE with their Pioneer Card.

DU continues its commitment to provide the community with the most affordable and exciting entertainment in the Denver metro area.

Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 17 of DU's NCAA Division I sports.

Denver vs. Alcorn State Box Score (PDF)

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF DENVER ATHLETICS 

Robinson, Graham Lead ASU Past AUM

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- DeMarcus Robinson tied his career-high with 21 points and Brandon Graham collected a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead Alabama State (5-5) to a 78-51 win over Auburn Montgomery in a friendly neighborhood basketball game.

Both of Graham's totals were career-highs while Luther Page also hit double digits with 10 points to give the Hornets three double-digit scorers.

The Hornets shot 45 percent from the field (32-71) for the game and shot 35 percent (8-23) from beyond the three point line as both Robinson and Graham led the way with three threes each.

"I thought the guys came out today and got off to a good start," Head Coach Lewis Jackson said. "We were able to get some early baskets and we were playing some pretty good defense and things were working for us. Things fell off some when we made some substitutions with our offense, but overall I thought it was a good effort."

"The guys came out and executed well on some things and we got a chance to play some guys that have not played in a while."

Maurice Strong collected a career-high 10 rebounds to help the Hornets our rebound AUM 48-35 and Jamel Waters, the Hornets leading scorer, tied his career-high with 10 assists while scoring seven points.

ASU came out in the second half and scored the first seven points of the half to add to ASU's halftime lead of 37-22 and pushed the lead out to 44-22. The run was a 14-0 run that covered the end of the first half and was stopped by a free throw from AUM's Spencer Jones.

ASU's largest lead of the game came on back-to-back dunks from Bobby Brown that gave ASU a 70-40 lead with 6:44 left in the game.

"Jamel was pushing the ball tonight and I think he had seven assists at halftime and he ended up with 10 and we want to get out and run more," Jackson said. "We have good athletes and we are trying to run more and put pressure on the other teams with our transition offense. There were some things that were good tonight so we just have to continue to work on the things that will allow us to be successful."

Brett Person and Brandon Howard scored 12 points each to lead AUM and Quay Davis came off the bench to add 11. ASU's defense held AUM to 32 percent shooting (18-57) and 28 percent (5-18) from beyond the three point line.

The first half saw the Hornets score the first six points of the game and go on to lead by as many as 18 points (21-3) before the Warhawks started to come back.

AUM's Howard and Davis hit back-to-back three's to cut the led to 30-22 with 3:08 left in the opening half, but that would be as close as the visitors would get.

ASU held AUM scoreless the final three minutes of the half and scored the half's final seven points which ended with Waters hitting a three at the horn to send ASU into the locker room with a 37-22 lead.

Strong and Robinson had nine points each to lead ASU and Strong added eight rebounds as the Hornets out rebounded AUM 26-18 in the opening half.

ASU will be back in action Monday, Dec. 30 when they host Thomas University at 7 p.m. It will be the Hornets final non-conference action of the season before starting Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play at Grambling Jan. 4.

"It's very important (to play AUM and Thomas) to play these games and we have some things we need to work on in our offense as well as our defense," Jackson said. "It's important to play some games before we go into conference play and we have this game scheduled (AUM) and another on Monday (Thomas)."

"We have to come out and play better, especially on defense and getting into the passing lane. I thought we did a good job of rebounding but the challenges are going to get stronger so we have to try and improve day in and day out."

Box Score

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

WSU Cougars Down MVSU Delta Devils, 85-48

PULLMAN, Washington --  Que Johnson scored 19 points and Royce Woolridge added 16 as Washington State routed Mississippi Valley State 85-48 on Saturday.

The Cougars did it without their leading scorer, DaVonte Lacy. Lacy had an appendix attack early Saturday morning and will miss the conference opener against Arizona next Thursday.

D.J. Shelton recorded his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds for Washington State (7-5) who shot 88 percent from the field in the second half.

Washington State got out to an early 21-3 lead and never trailed in the game. It held Mississippi Valley State (3-8) to just one basket in the early run as they started the game 1-for-16 from the field. The Delta Devils went eleven minutes without a score in the first half.

Washington State continued the rout in the second half, outscoring MVSU 48-18 in the paint.

Video: Ken Bone: MVSU Postgame

Players: MVSU Postgame

Highlights: MBB vs. MVSU

Final Stats

Postgame Notes

 

COURTESY WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY COUGARS ATHLETICS

BCU Football to Hold Annual Awards Banquet

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida  -- Bethune-Cookman University football will hold its annual end-of-year awards banquet Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Plaza Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach, Fla. Veteran play-by-play announcer for ESPN, Charlie Neal, will serve as master of ceremonies for the annual event.

The event will take place at the Plaza Resort & Spa, located at 600 North Atlantic Avenue on beachside in Daytona Beach. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., with the banquet beginning at 7 p.m.

Recently completing the 2013 season under head coach Brian Jenkins, who just finished his fourth year at the helm in Daytona Beach, the B-CU Wildcats ended the year as HBCU National Champions in the BoxToRow media poll. In addition, several Wildcats were named to numerous All-America teams, while Jenkins received his third Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Coach of the Year award in four years – the second consecutive for the Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. native.

B-CU claimed its second MEAC title in as many years during the 2013 campaign, and the third in four years under Jenkins. The Wildcats advanced to the NCAA FCS Playoffs for third time in four years, travelling to Coastal Carolina in Conway, S.C.

For more information on the Bethune-Cookman University football team, please log onto BCUathletics.com. Once there, you will find up-to-date news, stats and information regarding the Wildcats football program.

Fans can keep up-to-date with all B-CU Athletics via twitter at Twitter.com/BCUathletics, in addition to the official football twitter page at Twitter.com/BCUGridIron. You can also become a fan of the Wildcats on Facebook at Facebook.com/BCUathletics.



COURTESY BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION